The Black Mountain Druid Order is an online and face-to-face Druid Order. We never charge for membership, and our year-long Foundational Druidry course is free. We have been educating people in the principles of Druidry as practiced by our Order since the late 1990s. While we strive for historical accuracy as much as possible within our Order, we also recognize that Druidry is a dynamic and ever-changing art. It would be impossible to reproduce exactly what our ancient Ancestors practiced, and we wouldn’t want to. Our Ancestors lived in an agrarian society and we live in a post-industrial society.
Our goal as a Druid Order is to create a thriving new growth with ancient roots.
History
Black Mountain Grove was founded in 1997 by members of Emerald Coast Grove in Pensacola, Florida. The Order was named after the town of Black Mountain, North Carolina because that’s where we held our rites the most often. Over time the name also became symbolic of the work we do. Our Order does extensive Shadow Work, and the name “Black Mountain” grew to symbolize the “black mountain” of the unconscious mind, where the Shadow dwells and from which the power of creativity emerges.
As interest in our teachings grew, Black Mountain Grove became an Order in 2000. At that time began training novices and apprentices in the principles of Black Mountain Druidry so that they could foster their own Groves.
Our primary purpose as an Order is to educate interested parties in the principles of Druidry as practiced by Black Mountain Druid Order. These principles embrace our Four Sacred Pillars of reverence for our Ancestors, respect for nature, service to the Grove, to the community, and to the world at large, and growth in mind, body and spirit.
The Order started in the 1990s in Black Mountain, North Carolina. In 2020 we relocated to Tacoma, Washington. While the home of the Order now resides in the Seattle/Tacoma area, we kept the name Black Mountain Druid Order to reflect our history and heritage.
If you’re interested in Druidry, especially Druidry as practiced by our Order, we welcome you with open arms!
If you wish to keep informed of events of our Order, please subscribe to the blog. You may also visit our forums to join in the discussion!
Foundational Philosophy
There are two major schools of thought in modern Druidry. One, the Reconstructionists, believes that Druids should try to be as authentic as possible in reconstructing the original Druid path by painstakingly studying history and archaeology for clues.
The other, the Revivalists, is more experiential and believes that Druidry is a more inner, individual path. This school teaches that whatever is true for you as you walk the path is the ‘true’ Druidry.
Since the ‘True Druidry’ of our ancestors is lost to antiquity, neither of these schools of thought can lay claim to representing true historically accurate Druidry. In this sense, we are all Reconstructionists, creating something new while drawing inspiration from the Ancient Ones.
Black Mountain Druid Order strives to strike a balance between these two schools of thought by learning from the past while focusing on the future. Our philosophy is to try to remain as free of dogma as possible. By doing so we allow for new experience and insight. We use the tools and knowledge of the past to find our way to the future. It is our belief that if the gods are real, then they will guide us as we recreate Druidry; and if the gods aren’t real, and we’re just making this up as we go along, then what was done in the past doesn’t matter anyway as long as the rituals have meaning for us now.
Balance and the Awen
The Awen is a symbol of the Druid Revival. The three dots at the top represent the three drops of sacred inspiration the bard Taliesin received from Cerridwen’s cauldron. The three descending rays represent divine wisdom and inspiration.
Black Mountain Druid Order
The Awen symbolizes the balance of opposites: male/female, positive/negative, creation/destruction. It also symbolizes enlightenment, depicting the rays of the Sun descending from the heavens.
Black Mountain Druid Order strives to strike a balance between tradition and experience. We wish to remain open to new ideas while looking back to remember where we’ve come from and where we’ve gone in the past. Ours is a living tradition with room for new thoughts, ideas and experiences. We are not a religions so much as a philosophy and a way of life.
This means that you don’t have to worship a Celtic pantheon to be a member of our Order. While you can be a Druid in our Order and worship a god or a goddess, you can also be a Druid and be a Christian, a Muslim or a Hindu, or even an Atheist. What brings us together is our commonalities as seekers. Our differences make us unique, but they don’t need to divide us from each other. The Black Mountain Druid Order strives at all time to find unity in our commonalities rather than discord in our differences.
Structure of Our Rites and Rituals
While some people do well without a structure, others need ritual, rules and familiarity to guide them. Whenever a group of people with a common interest come together for fellowship, rules have been established, whether those rules are spoken or unspoken. Our Order is no exception. Our rules and procedures are designed to make our coming together function as smoothly as possible when we enjoy and learn from each other.
The Black Mountain Druid Order is liturgical in the sense that our rites and rituals have an established structure.
Our goal is to provide enough rules so that we may have a structure that everyone is comfortable with, without becoming dogmatic and rigid in the process. The input of our members is always valued as we seek to strike this balance.
Levels of Druidry in Our Order
There are four basic levels of Druidry within the Black Mountain Order. They are listed below, with a brief explanation of each.
The rights and responsibilities of each degree are described below.
Dedicant
A person who is new to the Order. Dedicants are those who have not yet completed our free Foundational Druidry course.
First Degree
Upon successfully completing the Foundational Druidry course, a Dedicant is eligible to become a Druid of the First Degree. Any First Degree Druid of the Black Mountain Druid Order is eligible to officiate at any rite or ritual of our Order, acting as facilitator of the rite. One who has completed the Foundational Druidry training program is now a First Degree Druid and is eligible enroll in the Bard Level (Second Degree) training program of the Black Mountain Druid Order.
Second Degree
Upon successfully completing the Bard Level (Second Degree) course, the student is eligible to become a Bard (Second Degree) within the Black Mountain Druid Order. The Bard Level course teaches about Celtic lore and how it relates to individual and group spiritual development. Upon successful completion of the Bard Level training, the student is awarded the rank of Second Degree. Bards are eligible to sit on the High Council, which is the governing body for the Black Mountain Druid Order.
Third Degree
Upon successfully completing the Bard Level (Second Degree) course, the student is eligible to become a Vate (Third Degree) within the Black Mountain Druid Order. The Vate Level course teaches about the healing arts, herbalism, and meditation. Upon successful completion of the Vate Level training, the student is awarded the rank of Third Degree. Vates are eligible to teach herbalism, meditation, and the healing arts either in a Grove or in our online academy.
Fourth Degree
Upon successfully completing the Vate Level (Third Degree) course, the student is eligible to become an Archdruid (Fourth Degree) within the Black Mountain Druid Order. The Archdruid Level course teaches about the healing arts, herbalism, and meditation. Upon successful completion of the Archdruid Level training, the student is awarded the rank of Fourth Degree. Archdruids are eligible to preside over a group of three or more Groves in an advisory capacity.
Black Mountain Druid Order on Youtube
Our channel on Youtube contains a lot of videos on Druidry, meditation, and Pagan music.
Click here to subscribe to the Black Mountain Druid Order’s Youtube Channel.
Links
Courses offered by the Black Mountain Druid Order
Four Sacred Pillars of Our Order
Resources for Druidry and Nature-Centered Spirituality